Awning attachment



June 1,1926. 1,587,132

M. J. L. TOWLER v AWNING- ATTACHMENT Filed August 6. 1923l Patented June l, 1926.

MAXIMILIAN J'. L. TOWLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AWNING- ATTAGHMEN T.

rlhis invention relates to an ,awning attachment, and my invention aims to provide an anti-jammingdevice which may form part of an awning pulley block to prevent the folds or other portions of an awning from jamming the sheave over which the awning rope is trained to facilitate raising and lowering the awning. The jamming of one o1` more pulleys ordinarily occurs when an awning or the like is raised causing folds to accumulate on the raising ropes or flexible members adjacent the pulleys or sheaves over which the ropes are trained, and very often the awning is badly torn and injured. Then again, when such jamming occurs the awning frame and its adjusting ropes are subjected to stresses and strains causing, in many instances, the awning to be torn from its anchorage and the awning frame to become entirely displaced. To prevent such jamming I have devised simple and effective means that. may be made a part of -a pulley to serve as a guard or shield for a rope trained over or through the pulley. The guard or shield may be single or double and is applicable to any sheave or pulley employed for adjusting fabric where such fabric may interfere'with the operation of the pulley or sheave.

The construction entering into my invention will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed and reference will now be had to the drawing wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a window or doorway provided with an awning equipped with anti-jamming means in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the awning showing the shield for awning folds;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of an awning pulley provided with a shield, and

Fig. iis a plan of a double shield.

As showing an installation of the antijamming devices, the reference numeral 1 denotes a window or door frame and suitably attached to the lintel or upper portion 2 of the window or door frame is the upper edge of an awning 3 having end walls orl flaps 4. The lower or outer edge 5 of the awning 3 is suitably attached to a frame 6 pivotally connected to brackets 7 carried by the window or door frame 1, and attached to the frame 6 are ropes or flexible members 8 and 9 that may be employed for kblocks to such an extent that the Application led August 6, 1923. Serial No. 655,890.

raising and lowering the awning. The rope 8 is trained over or through pulley blocks 10 and the rope 9 is trained over or through a pulley block 11, the pulley blocks 1() and 11 being attached to the window or door frame 1, adjacent the upper secured edge of the awning 3, and the'free ends of the rope are at one side of the window or door frame yand are `adapted to be wound on or attached to a conventional form of cleat or hold-fast device 12 on the side of the window or door frame 1. Y

When pulling upon the free ends of the ropes 8 and 9 to raise the awning 3,' said awing is caused to fold or gather, as shown in Fig. 2 and there is always a liability of the awning folds jamming in the pulley ropes 8 and 9 will not function and the fabric of which the awning is made may be torn or injured.

llhe'pulley blocks 10 and 11 are of a conventional form including opposed 'side ears 13 connected by a rivet or journal pin 14 on which rotates a sheave 15, the sheaves being grooved or flanged for the rope trained thereon through the pulley block. My device, in its single or simple form, is made of non-corrodable sheet metal shaped to provide a rope receiving portion 16 which is somewhat tubular that a rope may freely extend or p-ass therethrough and at one end of the rope receiving portion 16 are opposed aperturedy ears 17 which are placed on the rivet or'journal pin 14,r between the side faces of the sheave 15 and the ears 13, such assembling of parts being accomplished when the pulley block is manufactured. The ropereceiving portion 16 is disposed at a tangent to the periphery of the sheave 15 and forms a guard' or shield over that portion 'of the rope trained on the sheave 15 at what may be considered the entrance to the pulley block, consequently the folds of the awning 3 cannot contact with the rope adjacent the pulley block and be carried into the pulley block to jam the rope therein. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 my devices are positioned so that the rope receiving portions will extend towards the outer ends of the ropes so that when raising the awning the ropes must be moved into and through the rope receivino' portions. This is true when the pulley zblocks are arranged as shown in Fig. .1, but in inn stances where large awnings are used it is or channel shaped so often necessary to arrange additional pulley locks at the front or outer edge of the awningand ordinarily attached to the frame 6. For such pulley blocks, one of Which is shown in Fig. 4, I provide a double antijamming device having the rope receiving portions 16 disposed at an angle relative to each other, and integral with the integral or intermediate portion providing` the ears T7 `for supporting the double form of' device on the rivet or journal pin lll of the pulley block. It does not matter in which direction the rope is pulled through the device for in either direction an awning` cannot be caught in the pulley block.

From the foregoing it Will he observed that I have devised a simple article of manulacture that may form part of vario-us kinds of pulleys, and While in the drawing there are illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to loe understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim- That I claim is An attachment 'for an awning pulley block having ears, journal pin, and a sheave, said attachment comprising a rope shield having ears between the block ears and the sheave with said shield ears pivoted on said journal pin, said Shield having an outer tubular rope receiving end and an innei` inverted U-shaped end over said sheave.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature MAXIMILIAN J. L. TOVVLER. 

